Elizabeth Orosco
Managing Editor

Six months after taking office, Mayor Quinton Lucas delivered his inaugural State of the City address Wednesday, Feb. 12. 

He discussed city infrastructure, potholes, affordable housing, zero-fare transit, marijuana offenses, and public safety. 

The address was delivered one day before the release of the city’s annual budget, which Mayor Lucas is calling “our City’s most equitable and responsible budget in recent memory.”

While there is much to celebrate in Kansas City, Mayor Lucas said “we have much more work to do to build a more equitable city.” 

In response to the pothole-riddled roads, this year’s budget allocates $17 million for street resurfacing, a 70 percent increase from the funding level two years ago. 

Mayor Lucas has asked acting City Manager Earnest Rouse to appoint a “Pothole Czar” who would be responsible for prioritizing road projects, coordinating across departments, incorporating a more efficient reporting measure for residents, and consistent communication with City Council.

 
The funding for this “vital role,” he said, has already been secured in the budget. 

Also secured are salary increases for all City staff, to ensure “the people who keep our city running get the respect—backed by the pay—they deserve.”

Moving beyond basic services, Mayor Lucas said local government will work to “remove barriers to success for residents” through economic development and housing policies for areas that have “suffered from decades of disinvestment.” 

“One area of change that is essential is that the era of trickle-down economic development policy come to an end,” said Mayor Lucas.

Economic development, he said, is not just about tax abatements for luxury housing development, but supporting local businesses and investment on corridors “like Blue Ridge, Independence Avenue, and North Oak.” 

A half-million-dollar reduction to the city support of the Economic Development Corporation is a “right-sizing” and a “reorient” of what economic prosperity looks like across Kansas City, he added. 

Regarding affordable housing, Mayor Lucas highlighted the efforts by KC Tenants to advocate for tenant’s rights across Kansas City. 

“The Tenants Bill of Rights was a transformative piece of legislation… but we have a lot more work to do,” he said. 

Mayor Lucas said his office has worked the last six months to find more resources to support the creation of affordable housing opportunities.

“That work has resulted in an amazing $13.9 million in regional funding for local programs serving the homeless, as well as deploying millions in additional HUD funding to build new affordable housing units, provide needed building maintenance to senior centers and women’s shelters, and help hundreds of low-income homeowners make needed repairs—in every part of Kansas City.” 

Shifting the discussion to implementation of the free bus services, Mayor Lucas said the City, in a cost-sharing agreement with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), will fund $5 million of the $8 million needed to offer free buses. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City has agreed to contribute up to $1 million in year one to help launch zero-fare transit. 

“We are on track to launch fare-free service this year,” he said. 
In light of the recent medical marijuana legalization in Missouri and recreational legalization across the country, Mayor Lucas also highlighted his office’s plan to start a process of pardoning municipal violations of marijuana possession and marijuana drug paraphernalia convictions of all non-violent offenders in Kansas City. 

“Our reasoning is simple,” he said. “Government can’t solve everything. I want to empower people to be able to find work, take care of their families, make a decent living… I also continue to believe we should remove marijuana altogether from our code of municipal ordinances.” 

Turning to the issue of crime, Mayor Lucas said “almost none of it matters if we lose another 148 people this year.” 

This year’s budget allocates funding for an increase in the number of police officers, permanent social worker positions, and probation officers.

“We can never stop caring about kids, parents, and people who deserve a chance to grow old in our community,” he said.

He closed out his inaugural State of the City address saying the budget is the most equitable one many have ever seen in this city. 

“It tells everybody in this city that they matter, and their neighborhoods, their issues—and, for our workers, their pay—matter.”